Tech

Ask a Dev: How Do You Develop Apps for Multiple Android Devices?

Android is a robust platform which runs on a wide variety of devices. But with so much diversity, how can developers make sure their apps look great on every device — from the biggest, most high resolution tablets to lower quality displays?

The latest video in our Ask a Dev series looks at how Android developers can accommodate different screen sizes and resolutions into their apps. As Android engineer Michael Morgano explains, it wasn't always an easy task.

Newly developed Google tools make developing for multiple devices much easier, he says in the video, above. He recommends taking advantage of Android's different density bucket, which can select the optimal image for each device running the app.

The video also explains the frameworks and techniques available for making REST calls from an Android app. Morgano says developers have two main options provided by the Android SDK.

The first is a version of the apache HTTP client. While this option is familiar for many java developers, it's no longer being maintained by the Android team, he says.

Instead, he suggests the second option, HttpURLConnection, which continues to be maintained by Android. The open source community has also provided frameworks as alternative choices, he says.

Our developer experts are from Mutual Mobile, a leading development and design firm that builds mobile strategies for top companies such as Audi, Google and Citigroup. The team is eager to answer your questions about mobile, so ping us with your top queries on Twitter, using the hashtag #AskaDev. Don't forget to check out our Ask a Dev YouTube channel and subscribe.

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